**4. Fiber goats**

Mohair production in the USA is all from Angora goats, and the Edwards Plateau in Texas is one of the main regions in which this international breed is raised. The Angora goat does not qualify as local by virtue of its importation early in the 1900s. A distinct archaic type does persist in the USA, mainly among breeders of the indigenous Navajo nation. This is a type close to that represented in the early importations and distinct from the more modern type. The Navajo Angora has a flatter lock type in contrast to the more pencil locks favored in modern Angoras. In addition the horns tend to twist upward or outward rather than having the lower pronounced curl of the modern Angora.

An increasing number of breeders, especially among artisans and hand-crafters, are concerned that this type of goat with its distinctive fiber is in danger of being completely absorbed by the more modern type. In response there is increasing

**Figure 2.**

*The Navajo Angora goat is often colored, and has different fleece and horn structure than the more typical commercial modern Angora type. Photo by D.P. Sponenberg.*

interest in organizing the breeding and recognition of this type which has generally persisted outside of the registries. In the early days of the formation of the Colored Angora Goat Breeders' Association most of the goats accepted into the registry were of the Navajo type, which often includes colored goats. However, in this Association the past decades have seen increasing use of the colored goats that rarely segregate from registered white Angora herds and tend to be of the more modern type. This breeding strategy has changed the overall breed type within the colored Angoras from the original Navajo type towards the more modern type. The colored goats have become increasingly fine-fleeced, which is the goal for most breeders of modern Angoras. As a reaction to this the breeders that prefer the Navajo type are beginning to organize breeding programs targeting this archaic type. There are no current estimates on population size for this type of Angora goat, but it is likely to number no more than 1000 head (**Figure 2**).

Goats used specifically for cashmere production are rare in the USA. A few breeders have imported cashmere-producing goats from international sources, but these continue to be present in very low numbers. Some specific bloodlines of Spanish goats have been used for cashmere production, and in this case the cashmere production is secondary to the usual meat-producing role of this breed. A few breeders of Spanish goats do specifically put emphasis on cashmere production, but the economics of this in the USA make it secondary to the income produced by meat production.
